Sometimes, architecture involves creating a series of bold and majestic gestures, to grand effect. At other times, architecture involves finding solutions to a series of modest problems that, while straightforward, can make a homeowner feel grand.

This diminutive bathroom off the master bedroom of a 1940s-era Pacific Heights condominium was "a rabbit warren of tiny rooms," the owner reports. When he and his wife bought their condo, the bathroom was chopped up into eight poorly configured spaces: a toilet room, a tiny shower room, a tub-and-sink room, four miniature closets and a vanity room. "I love my wife," he explains, "but I didn't love bumping into her all the time." Worse, because the room had a second door into the front hall, guests would occasionally barge in while the bathroom was in use.

The couple knew they wanted a larger, lighter, more functional bathroom with better storage -- but they also knew they wouldn't be able to add a single square foot of space to their top-floor condo.

Architect Phil Rossington's solution was to remove most of the walls and reconfigure the space around a more open plan. He replaced the confined shower room with a larger, glass-enclosed shower adjacent to a gracious soaking tub. Four small storage areas were replaced with his and hers closets behind sliding doors, and the former vanity room is now a walk-in closet.

A canted skylight nearly the size of the room brings in diffused natural light. A simple pocket door into the bathroom from the master bedroom economizes on space. Finally, Rossington eliminated the door to the front hall, giving the couple the privacy they'd craved.

The new tub deck and vanity are gently stippled Venezian Lido granite. California black granite on the floor and rich mahogany closet doors and cabinets (custom made by the couple's contractor) added warmth and sophistication to what has become the jewel of the couple's home.

In San Francisco, it's refreshing to realize that living space can be found like magic within an existing floor plan. "It was frustrating and annoying to be in our bathroom," the owner recalls. "But now, when we walk into our bathroom at the end of the day, we feel we've come to some sort of spa."